Traditional
by she.s.a.shy.one
Summary: The first time Calypso celebrated Christmas, the traditions left her a little...bewildered. (Christmas Outtake from my story Firsts, Merry Christmas!) CALEO
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS!**

**Shy**

**PS. By the way, this is an outtake from WAY in the future where Calypso has arrived at Camp Half-Blood, met everyone yada yada and is purely for my own amusement :D**

* * *

**TRADITIONAL**

**PART ONE: SANTA CLAUS, REINDEER AND CHRISTMAS OFFERINGS**

* * *

The first time Calypso celebrated Christmas, she was bewildered, to say the least.

She started to see the decorative lights and pine trees being spread across the strange new city she found herself living in around a month before the year's end. At first, she decided it must be a new trend but as the days grew cooler, she became curious as the trees were strung up with glittering baubles and brightly wrapped boxes lay at their bases.

"Christmas." Calypso pronounced the word carefully when Leo tried to explain it to her. "What does that mean?"

Leo squinted, trying to think of how to explain the holiday to someone who'd been figuratively living under a rock for the past three millennia. "It's…a celebration." He began. "For the birth of Jesus Christ."

"So it is like a name day?" she interrupted.

"Kind of. Mostly, now people celebrate it as a season of peace and goodwill and all that mushy stuff. You give gifts to each other and do good things, yada yada yada." He said, shrugging. He would always remember Christmas in foster homes as the most depressing time of year when the real kids got to enjoy gifts and family and a Christmas tree and then there were the orphans who were half-heartedly handed a new pair of socks or something equally lame and a muttered _Happy Holidays._

"That is a lovely thought," she mused as Leo guided them toward the forges. She'd cornered him as he was coming out of his cabin but he was itching to start work. A lot of the campers had gone home for Christmas and with the forges mainly empty, Leo was free to get started on his latest project in peace. But first he had to get rid of his girlfriend.

Yeesh, that sounded bad.

"Hey, why don't you go ask Malcolm more about it?" he suggested, off the top of his head with a gesture towards the Athena Cabin. "He's a history buff, he could tell you all about Christmas."

Calypso paused, frowning as they reached the doors of the forge. "Leo, you dislike it when I speak to Malcolm." She pointed out, slowly.

Leo fought not to wince. "No I don't."

"Yes you do." Calypso argued, raising a brow. "You call him the pretty owl boy and upgraded the Stoll brother's chariot in exchange for them targeting him last race."

Without meaning to, Leo's face turned into a smirk at the memory of Malcolm Anders, second-in-command of Cabin 6, being tossed out of his chariot after one of his more explosive upgrades to the Hermes chariot. "I owed Travis a favour." He evaded. "Look, why don't you ask Annabeth then?"

Now it was Calypso's turn to look uneasy. "I-I don't think I'd feel comfortable with Annabeth." She said, keeping her voice steady. To be honest, she hadn't spoken to the blonde since she'd arrived at camp. Speaking to Percy had been difficult enough, Calypso privately decided confronting the intimidating blonde warrior was unnecessary.

"Now is a good time to hang out with fewer people around." Leo said, obliviously. "After all, Percy's invited us all to his mom's apartment for Christmas this year."

"He has?" Calypso echoed, her stomach sinking.

"Sure did." Leo replied, cheerful as he kissed her cheek and backed up into the forge. "I'll see you later, Sunshine!"

* * *

Calypso _did not _go to Annabeth. Instead, she snuck into the library at the Big House and settled into one of the chairs and read.

The selection wasn't particularly vast- she found around three or so books relating to the holiday. There was the book of rhyming poems called 'carols', another relating to recipes and yet another dedicated to traditions of the celebration. Calypso read through them intently although the more she read, the more she began to realise how ridiculous such traditions were- particularly the stories about a fat god in a red and white suit who dropped down chimneys to deliver offerings to children across the world. She'd never heard of such a god but then, she'd missed out on several new god-births while she'd been trapped.

Since she'd never really had much to read on Ogygia, it was a skill she'd practically forgotten when she arrived at camp but like riding a Pegasus, it came back bit by bit. Her godly background allowed her to learn English and any other language she put her mind to but it was still tiresome at times. By the time she'd finished, evening had settled over the camp. Closing the door to the Big House quietly so as not to attract Mr D's attention, Calypso found her way back to the forge, mind buzzing with questions. And who better to ask than her own personal rescuer?

When Leo finally retreated from his work, she pounced.

"What does the tree signify?" Calypso asked in a rush and Leo practically leapt into the air with surprise.

"Gods above, Sunshine," he gasped. "Can you make some noise next time?"

"And the lights? And what is the function of these bells, do they summon the god of Christmas?" she continued, holding out an illustrated image of a sleigh with jingling bells attached to it.

Leo frowned. "Err…what god of Christmas?" They fell into step with each other and he felt his hand reach for hers immediately. He couldn't really explain it but he enjoyed the warm strength of her fingers laced between his.

She rolled her eyes and flipped the page with her free hand while he held the other two books for her. "This god. He has several epithets but I believe Santa Claus is the most commonly used."

He took a glance at the illustration she was pointing to. He couldn't help himself; Leo burst into laughter right on the front steps of the forge. "You think Santa…is a _god?_" he wheezed, choking for air.

Calypso scowled. "It is not funny! I want to know more about this celebration and you're not being very helpful!"

He tried to stop but the snickering overtook him again. "Oh gods, you think- and he- bronze bulls, Sunshine, Santa isn't a god."

"Don't be absurd." She dismissed him, flipping through her book until she found the page she was looking for. "It clearly states that he is capable of flying to every home around the world in a single night. There is no earthly way a mortal could accomplish such a feat."

Leo felt like his belly might split from laughter. "Oh man…" he coughed between chortles, wiping tears from his eyes. "You are a real riot, Sunshine."

Her scowl grew bigger, filled with a kind of embarrassment that she'd obviously not understood the texts as well as she'd first thought. She ripped the texts from under his arm. "You are utterly useless, Leo Valdez." She snapped angrily, turning on her heel. "If you won't help me, I'm going to find someone who can."

"Aww…Calypso, wait!" he called out. "Come back and we'll talk about Santa-" Leo tried to continue but his chuckles just consumed him again.

* * *

The following morning, Calypso decided not to bother Leo with any more of her questions, considering his reaction to the last lot. Instead, she planned for around noon when a certain Roman arrived in New York.

Naturally, when Hazel asked if Calypso was busy, she nearly leapt at the opportunity to pick the daughter of Pluto's brains. Even though it had been for considerably less time than Calypso, Hazel too had been…_out of commission _for a long time and much of the modern world confused her as well.

But in this respect, even Calypso had to admit, Hazel was about as helpful as Leo. "I don't know why we use trees." She said, helplessly. "We just…do." They'd ventured out of camp into New York where Calypso had once again scoured the book stores for more resources and finally settled down for a cup of…what had Hazel called it again? Ah yes…_coffee._ Calypso decided the drink was very…invigorating.

"But there must be _some _meaning." Calypso complained, looking through her new books. "I mean, they aren't even burned as offerings, they must serve some kind of purpose to the festivities."

"Offerings?" Hazel echoed, confused.

"For the god of Christmas." Calypso replied, dismissively. "The one known as Santa Claus."

A tiny smirk crept onto Hazel's face despite herself. "Santa Claus huh?"

"Leo was his usual ridiculous self when I asked him," Calypso muttered, angrily. "I don't know why it was so funny but he just wouldn't stop _giggling _like a little girl."

Hazel tried to keep her snickering from exploding out of her mouth with a cough. "Maybe you reminded him of something funny." She suggested, struggling to keep a blank face. "What else do you want to know?"

"Well, I can't figure out why the god would _leave _gifts instead of taking the offerings left at the foot of the tree." Calypso sighed, confused.

Hazel shrugged. "That's easy. Santa leaves gifts for all the good, kind children of the world and punishes the naughty ones by handing out lumps of coal."

"Ah," Calypso breathed, with realisation across her face. "So it's like a bribe?"

Her friend winced. "Err…not really."

"But that still wouldn't explain why children leave socks on the hearth…" Calypso murmured under her breath, not entirely listening.

"They're stockings." Hazel corrected. "For gifts."

"Why would they need these…stockings? Surely they're too big for mortal feet." Calypso asked, lost again as she traced a picture of Santa's sleigh. "And why does this god use these bizarre creatures instead of horses?"

"I don't know, it's just tradition." The daughter of Pluto said, flustered. "And they're called reindeer."

"Reindeer…" Calypso repeated, narrowing her eyes at her books. "What an odd name."

* * *

Chiron blinked. Then blinked again. Then sighed, took off his glasses and rubbed his forehead.

"I'm sorry Calypso," he said, calmly. "But reindeer are not monsters."

"But they have these bizarre horns and show a remarkably unkind temperament!" Calypso protested, displaying her books to the centaur. They sat in his office at the Big House, on either side of his desk with Calypso's sources spread between them.

"Unkind temperament?" Chiron repeated, weakly.

"Yes, look here," she pried a book from beneath the stack. "In this poem, they mock one of their own and only change their behaviour out of fear when the god looks upon him favourably for his enchanted nose."

"Enchanted nose…Calypso, that is a Christmas carol-" He tried to explain but one word tickled his ear. "Wait, god?"

"Yes, the god Saint Nicolas." She replied. "I tried calling him by one of his other names but everyone turns into snickering buffoons at the sound of it. I'm beginning to think it's a rather out dated version that people mock."

"Oh I can assure you, it's current." Chiron replied, trying to balance the guilt and amusement which lay conflicting inside his chest.

Calypso threw up her hands and rolled her eyes. "Mortals nowadays." She muttered. "Anyway, you are certain these reindeer creatures are not monsters? They could be some kind of griffin-hybrid?"

"I promise you Calypso," Chiron said, standing up to his full height as she collected her books. "Reindeer are mortal animals."

"Thankyou anyway then," she sighed, exiting his office. "I suppose I should try getting more answers out of Leo. Gods knows he's buried himself in the forges long enough, maybe that infernal banging has knocked some sense into him."

When she left, Chiron sat back down in his enchanted wheelchair and let out a helpless chuckle.

* * *

**A/N: Naw, Calypso believes in Santa Claus. Ain't she adorable?**

**Part Two coming soon!**

**Thankyou for reading ;)**

**Shy**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry guys, I got distracted by Firsts. Hope you all had a wonderful New Years!**

* * *

**TRADITIONAL**

**PART TWO: GIFTS, FAMILY AND CREDIT CARDS**

* * *

The first time Calypso felt like she was starting to get a handle on this…_Christmas_ festival, she immediately ran to tell Leo.

"I've got it!" Calypso called out as she burst through the doors of the forge, eyes bright. Leo barely had a time to shove a dirty cloth over his project before he had his arms full of his excitable girlfriend.

"What's up?" he asked as she hugged him tightly and pressed her mouth against his just long enough to make his stomach flip and his brain go slightly dead. When she drew back, she sat up on one of the empty work benches, uncaring of the dirt and grease. His mind filled with the sugary taste of her mouth and the cinnamon smell of her hair, she looked beautiful with her wide smile and- twitching hands? "Are you feeling okay there, Sunshine?"

"What? Oh, yes, the Stoll brothers were kind enough to help me make this beverage I tried in the city last I was there- Hazel first showed it to me in this little café and there was a man making it and his hands moved so quickly and he added something creamy to the top of the cup and then some kind of swirl in the shape of a heart and then he wrote something on my receipt but Hazel told me I didn't need it but I saw it and I think it was just a string of numbers so it was probably worthless anyway but then I tried it and oh my _gods, _I don't think I've ever had anything quite so pungent before-"

"Wait, slow down, you got hit on by the barista?" Leo finally deciphered, a scowl growing across his face.

"The coffee man did not hit me Leo." She replied, impatiently. "But I don't know how he got his job because the coffee was truly _awful _and I nearly spat it back out but Hazel added this little sachet of white sugar- can you imagine white sugar? It's absurd, I always thought sugar was brown- and it tasted so wonderful but I forgot the name but it turned out alright because when I described it to the Stolls they smiled and told me they had a bag of coffee beans in the camp store and they could make me some if I wanted and oh my gods, they are so very kind, Leo I don't know why everyone tells me to be cautious and-?"

"You took something from the Stolls? _Willingly?_" he interrupted again, wide eyed. "Holy Hephaestus, we'd better get you to the Infirmary."

"No, that's not the point!" she snapped again. "The point is, I was reading and I finally figured it out!"

"Figure what out?" Leo asked, half wanting to check her heart beat in case of cardiac arrest via caffeine and, by the taste of her kiss, sugar. Holy Zeus, he was going to roast the Stolls when he saw them next.

"I understand why the trees are brought inside and decorated!" she said, beaming. "It's like an altar, right? Mortals cannot afford to keep year-round altars like the old times so they create ones every year and decorate them accordingly to attract the gifts of Santa!"

This time, to his credit, Leo managed not to laugh and instead, his scowl turned into a grin. "I guess that's one way to look at it." He proposed. "Now, let's go to the infirmary huh? I think Will from Apollo is here over the holidays too."

"If we must. But truly, this coffee beverage is ingenious, Leo." She babbled as he led her from the forges, her feet tapping as he did. "After I figure out Christmas, I'll have to research where it comes from. It must be gift of the gods, perhaps from Prometheus?"

"The Titan who gave mortals fire?" Leo echoed closing the door to the forge.

"It's not as though there's more than one, repair boy." She rolled her eyes.

Leo sighed. "Sometimes I wish you and Piper weren't such good friends."

* * *

"It'll be fun…" Piper wheedled as they paid for their lunch and exited the small bistro. "Please?"

Calypso frowned. "Leo already agreed to spend Christmas with Percy and his mother."

Her beautiful friend sighed, shoving her armful of bags to her elbow. "It's okay, I guess I just have to find someone else to buffer for the day. Maybe Coach Hedge would be open to bringing Mellie and Twig along."

"I don't know why you need buffering," Calypso admitted as they continued through the cool weather. New York was as busy as ever, wild with people moving to and fro, everyone talking or yelling or calling or demanding. Sometimes it was enough to make her head ache fiercely but when Piper had asked her along for some last minute gift shopping, she hadn't wanted to be rude. Few people at the camp spoke to her freely, a little intimidated by her background- Piper honestly couldn't have cared less. "Does your father not approve of Jason?"

Piper blew her bangs out of her eyes. "No, that's not it. It's just the first time I've ever brought my boyfriend home for the holidays and Dad's _so _bad at being cool about that kind of thing. I just know he's going to go over the top and not know how to react."

"I'm sure he'll be fine." She replied, sensibly. "After all, the worst he could do was challenge Jason to a duel and I think Jason his a fine enough swordsman to handle himself."

Piper smirked. "Speaking from experience?"

"Not personally. My sister Hesperia liked the look of a young mountain god once but when my father caught them together-" she winced. "Let's just say Hesperia thought twice about leaving the door to her chambers unlocked again."

"Yikes," Piper muttered, shuffling the bags around her arm uncomfortably. "And I thought my dad was tough to handle."

"I am sorry I can't be there," Calypso apologised again. "I wish we could, I feel it would be more…comfortable."

"Annabeth, Percy and his mom in the same day huh?" Piper said, sympathising. That was the wonderful thing about Piper. She seemed to just…understand without needing to be told.

Calypso shrugged, grimly. "At least Percy no longer looks at me like I'm a damsel in distress that he threw to the sharks instead of saving. But I haven't exactly spoken to Annabeth. I worry it will make the holidays awkward."

"Christmas is supposed to be a little awkward I think," Piper tried to console as she rearranged her bags yet again. "Try not to worry about it. I mean, everyone will be so distracted by the food and the presents to really care."

"Would you like me to help carry those?" Calypso offered, slightly amused by Piper's attempts to manage the ridiculous number of shopping bags on her arm.

"Please?" she asked, tiredly as she handed several to her friend to carry. "I've got a gift for everyone on my list except Jason because he's insufferably hard to buy for. Every time I ask him, he just smiles and tells me _as long as it's from me_, he doesn't care."

"And that is not helpful advice?" Calypso ventured, uncertainly.

"Try, _really _unhelpful advice." Piper confirmed, rolling her eyes. "And what's worse is, he travels light, always has. I mean, he barely has more than one change of clothes but he hates having more than he thinks he needs. He's not a reader so I can't get him books or magazines and he doesn't really like TV. It's not like I can get him a CD or a DVD or anything electronic because monsters are attracted to him already and I'd rather not be responsible for shredding my boyfriend because I bought him an iPod. I'm nearly out of ideas."

Calypso paused and then sighed. "I only understood half of those things but I'm fairly certain Jason will truly not mind what you give him. After all, he's spending Christmas with you, isn't that a gift of sorts?"

"You sound like Jason." Piper narrowed her eyes, playfully. "So what are you getting repair boy this Christmas?"

She scowled. "He's just as hopeless as Jason, I think. Everything I could ever think of, he's already got or could make."

"Do you have a budget?" Piper asked.

Calypso shrugged. "Hermes has permitted me access to his portion of the Olympus Trust for the holidays."

Piper's jaw dropped. "Wait, the Olympians have a trust fund?"

"Of course, though they rarely use it. They just can't resist hoarding so much value to themselves." Calypso rolled her eyes, dismissively.

Piper glanced up on instinct, watching the clouds swirl threateningly above the pair. "Err…Calypso? Maybe you shouldn't say that kind of stuff so loudly?"

Following her gaze, Calypso snorted. "Don't you even start!" she called up at the clouds. "I'm older than most of you, I can say whatever I like." There was a single boom of thunder but then it fell quiet.

"Wow." Piper muttered with one brow raised, impressed.

"I don't really have a limit then I suppose but Hermes was so cryptic about it," Calypso continued, obliviously as she held up a glowing golden credit card. "I mean, how am I supposed to trade this for anything? It's not even real gold!"

Piper laughed. "Oh Calypso," she sighed, grinning. "I have so much to teach you…"

* * *

After scouring the city for the perfect gift for Leo, Calypso made it back to camp, exhausted but relatively pleased with herself. Piper had been quick to show her how the strange gold card was used and to Calypso, imaginary money, though ridiculous, was rather useful.

"_It's not imaginary," _Piper had tried to explain. "_It's virtual._"

As though it made a difference.

As per usual, she checked the dining pavilion tentatively for Leo but she knew where he really was. He'd been holed up in the forges for the past three weeks and with Christmas just three days away, she was beginning to worry that he'd forgotten to eat or sleep entirely.

She knocked on the door to the forge but with no reply, she figured it was safe to enter. The lights were dimmed around the workshop save for one specific section which was lit up brightly and covered in tools and grease.

At the centre of it, Leo hunched over a desk filled with blue prints, cheek pressed to the wooden surface and mouth gaping wide as he slept.

Concealing her smile, Calypso soundlessly moved to his side, sitting up on the bench beside his head. She decided she rather liked Leo when he slept. He didn't carry any of the weight of his quest or memories with him and his face reminded her more of the little boy she'd seen in the fountain all those months ago when he'd first landed on Ogygia.

She let her fingers drag through the curls at the nape of his neck, giggling quietly when he mumbled under his breath and shuffled towards her until his head was nearly in her lap. "Wake up repair boy." She murmured, tracing the point of his ear and the peak of his brows with a feather-soft touch. "You've worked through the day."

"Hmmm….C'lypso?" he muttered back, eyes opening and squeezing shut.

"Yes?" she replied, carefully taming his curls.

"You…really here?" he sounded pleased at the prospect, which made her laugh again.

"I am. And you have been working since dawn. You haven't even eaten, Leo." She added, pointedly but still gentle as he leaned into her touch and moaned in complaint.

"Had a chocolate bar…" he muttered, defensively but still not quite conscious. "Can't I just sleep here?"

"I'm afraid not." She sighed as he began to wake a little more. When he pulled his head up to look at her, Calypso smiled indulgently. _Some days, I can't believe I get to keep you, Leo Valdez_. She thought to herself.

"How'd you go with shopping with Piper?" Leo asked, yawning as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He didn't move away from her, instead wrapping his arms around her knees like he wanted to yank her into his lap.

"Well. I think I found your present." She said, brightly.

"And did you get everyone on your list?" he asked, absently.

Calypso frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

"You know, your Christmas list. Like for family and stuff." He mumbled back, scratching his ear. He'd been working nonstop on her present and had barely had time to finish the couple of things he'd been planning for his friends. He was counting on a last minute shop tomorrow to get the rest.

"You were on my list." She shrugged, not quite understanding.

Leo tilted his head up to look at her, confused. "Yeah, but did you get everything else you wanted?"

"For who?" Calypso's brow furrowed.

The realisation sank in just as he woke up properly. "Calypso," Leo began slowly. "Did you _just _buy presents for me for Christmas?"

"Well yes. And Festus." She looked worried and slightly defensive as though wondering by his tone, if she'd done something wrong.

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, his exhaustion getting the better of him. Gods, explaining Christmas and all its traditions and nuances was a _lot _harder than he'd expected. "Sunshine," he half-moaned. "You're meant to get presents for your friends and family."

"But the book said gift-giving was for family, not friends!" She protested in a small voice. "And you're my family."

The words completely disarmed him in a way he hadn't really expected. Leo had thought she'd been getting along with his friends and the other campers now that she'd been in New York for several months- but he hadn't really anticipated that Calypso wouldn't feel the same sense of family he did around his friends.

"And Festus?" was all he could really say.

Calypso didn't meet his gaze and her expression held a sort of vulnerability he wasn't used to seeing from her. "He carried me away from Ogygia." She said, hesitantly. "And I talk with him sometimes."

Leo felt like yanking his hair out because obviously, he was the worst boyfriend in the world. This girl (this beautiful, amazing, irritating girl who, for whatever reason, _loved_ him) was lonely, _had been_ lonely for a rather long time and he hadn't noticed. "Beat me over the head and get it over with." He muttered to himself, scrubbing his eyes.

"I like your friends," Calypso tried to explain, haltingly. "Hazel and Piper and Frank are wonderful and I think Jason is very kind. If Christmas gifts are for friends as well, I'll think of as many as possible, they definitely deserve them."

"But…?" Leo asked, sensing the unsaid word.

Calypso bit her lip. "But they are not family for me like they are for you, hero. I don't have a family. I have you."

"I'm sorry, Sunshine." He muttered, scratching his scalp fiercely as he tried to think of the words. "Seriously, I just thought- I mean- I-"

"It's okay. Don't hurt yourself, hero." She cut him off, smiling a little. "Maybe one day…?"

She didn't need to say the rest but Leo heard it. _Maybe one day they'll be my family too._

"We'll go into the city tomorrow," Leo promised, leaning up until his forehead was pressed to hers and the smell of smoke and cinnamon filled his head. "Then I'll teach you how to wrap them."

Calypso brushed her mouth to his. "Do I even want to know what you mean by wrapping?"

Leo chuckled. "It is an ancient, delicate craft, Sunshine. But don't worry I'm kind of an expert."

She drew back for just a moment and raised her brow, critically. "Why do I doubt that very much? And if it's so ancient-?"

He rolled his eyes in retaliation and kissed her before she could ask him more questions he didn't know the answer to.

* * *

**A/N: Formal warning to say that if the Stoll brothers offer you anything, DO NOT TAKE IT.**

**Thanks for reading everyone! Next chapter up soon-ish, I hope ;)**


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